https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/37-clicks-stores-closed-in-five-provinces-as-eff-protests-rock-retailer-c664eeca-d776-40fd-accf-977f3c347a57

  • qublic69 [none/use name]
    3·
    4 years ago

    using negative adjectives for the natural black hair

    But the primary reason that people buy more specific hair products is when they have some problem that they want to fix.
    That is how people know that they should use another product in the first place.

    they could just use another black person for the “normal” or “after straightening” photos.

    The whole point is that so many Black women are now stopping with straightening. Which is why they seek repair shampoos and such.
    If you keep straightening, there is effectively no need for those kinds of shampoos anyway.

    But fair enough, I can see how it would be misread as intentional/unconscious racism by people unaware of market trends.
    And because that is most people, it probably is good that they have stopped that advertising campaign.

    It could have been more neutral if those ads showed before and after pictures instead, but adverting space comes at a premium.

    There is a more general argument to be made here about how all advertising is harmful, how it systematically highlights insecurities, but that just gets lost with this whole racism angle.

    Edit: also I'm pretty sure many of those women are aware of these things, and just riding the coat tails of this 'racism' controversy to get their body positivity message out there.

      • qublic69 [none/use name]
        4·
        4 years ago

        [he/him] also no

        Nice mansplaining you got there, very convincing.

        I have actually followed Sut Jhally's university courses on advertising and propaganda, so maybe come up with a better argument, or shut the fuck up.

        I've been aware of this whole 'ethnic' hair body positivity stuff for years now. And in White majority countries a huge part of it has been just having access to better shampoo.
        Like in Europe buying shampoo or conditioner that works well with curly Black hair, until recently, meant purchasing online or going to a specialty store.

        That is why shops specifically advertise that they carry those products; although Clicks is in South Africa, so that is probably different.
        And at least those ads are still a step up from pushing hair straightening products.

        One could argue about the pictures they chose to use in their ad, but consider: if they used nicer looking hair, that would be racist because it insults even nice looking hair, but if they used worse looking hair, that would be racist because it is bad representation.
        So they went for a middle ground, okayish hair, but there was really no way to win there. The likely outcome is just that they are going to stop marketing in ways that focus on apparent needs (keywords that people use in searching for products), but rather are centered on aspirations.
        Which just means advertising will continue consisting of mostly unattainable images; that is what I mean by all advertising is harmful.

        I'm not saying the EFF protestors are bad or ineffective, they will force positive changes; but claiming that it was an "extremely racist advertisement" is overblown and depends on a very shallow reading.
        Which again, a shallow reading is what most people have, so the ads still operate as racist, which is why they should be stopped, but the hyperbole does not help to that end.
        Calling it something like an "advertisement that perpetuates racism" is at least accurate and not going to get any resistance from overeducated assholes like me.

        Edit: my intent is not to be reactionary, but just to explain why I hold this position. I don't live in South Africa, I'm not counter protesting or anything, obviously.

          • qublic69 [none/use name]
            7·
            4 years ago

            Do you at least understand why, if you take this kind of attitude, White people are not going to do anything else besides violently resist you?
            There is zero attempt at dialogue here, you're not making any allies this way. Literally you sound more like a PsyOp than an activist right now.

            You think I'm wrong, then tell me what to read.

        • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
          ·
          4 years ago

          I don’t live in South Africa.

          Then you lack the context to understand why the advert is "incredibly racist". Schools and various organizations/companies are still trying to force people to chemically straighten their hair despite many protests against it over the past few years. Given all this very recent historical context, the ad is racist, regardless of the intentions of those who made it.

          Historical context:
          https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-06-18-pupils-at-pretoria-high-school-for-girls-stage-protest-against-racism/

          https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/learners-at-st-marys-diocesan-school-for-girls-demand-change-49960544